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A new integrated steganography scheme for quantum color images

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Abstract

In this paper, we propose a quantum steganography scheme with a color image as the cover image. In order to enhance the security of the embedded information, Arnold disambiguation is first performed on the secret image, followed by embedding the three bits of the secret image in the cover image by using the DWT method in the R-channel of the cover image, the DCT method in the G-channel, and the LSB embedding directly in the B-channel. By performing the embedding of the secret image in each of the three channels, the embedding capacity and effect are significantly improved. In addition, the robustness of the embedded image is also greatly improved due to the use of three embedding methods. The average PSNR after image steganography is 54.33dB, and the average NCC for extracting the secret image under Gaussian noise and pretzel noise with an intensity of 0.02 is 0.96 and 0.98, respectively. Simulation and numerical analyses show that the algorithm performs well in terms of invisibility, security, and robustness.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.61772295), Key Projects of Chongqing Natural Science Foundation Innovation Development Joint Fund (CSTB2023NSCQ-LZX0139), Open Fund of Advanced Cryptography and System Security Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province (Grant No. SKLACSS–202208) and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission (Grant no. KJZD-M202000501).

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  1. Yumin Dong and Rui Yan have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Computer and Information Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China

    Yumin Dong & Rui Yan

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  1. Yumin Dong
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Author contributions statement: Yumin Dong conceived the experiment and provided the necessary financial support. Rui Yan conducted experiments and wrote a manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Dong, Y., Yan, R. A new integrated steganography scheme for quantum color images. J Supercomput 80, 24758–24780 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-024-06332-1

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